Students used as pawns

Unfortunately, as with any job action involving teachers, the students and parents of students are collateral damage in the dispute.

But let’s be clear here: this dispute is not about or for the students.

This teacher-government fight is not in the best interests of the students.

Bill 115 — The Putting Students First Act is nothing more than a struggle between a government desperate to correct perceived mistakes of the past and unions reluctant to relinquish power.

The province, faced with a multi-billion dollar deficit, and forced to find ways to save money has turned its attention to its public sector employees.

Doctors, civil servants, and yes, teachers, are being asked to help in this deficit fight by biting the financial bullet — in the form of pay freezes, reduction of the archaic “sick days” (an idiotic and expensive employee credit in which workers can bank unused sick days and receive a hefty payout upon retiring) and other means.

Catholic and francophone teachers managed to reach a compromise with the government. Ontario doctors reached a deal last week.

Seven months of negotiating between the province and public school teachers before Bill 115 was unveiled in August, didn’t lead to a deal. Now we are at this impasse where the teachers’ unions are claiming Bill 115 violates the Charter of Rights and strips their negotiating power.

How the unions react when Bill 115 becomes law when the calendar flips to 2013 is anyone’s guess.

The only sure thing is that students have not been “put first” by either side.